Anonymous reviews:
Agent 4: I avoided mentioning Splatoon (the game) on purpose - it would definitely cause some existential crises for the inklings if the game was canon to Splatoon. My thought is that the bunny prototype is what became Splatoon in the Splatoon universe, but who knows? Maybe Nintendo will confirm Splatoon (the game) canon in the Splatoon universe in the future.
Onto the story.
Warning: Contains choking (in a dream)
Geneva's PoV
Geneva sunk into the back of her couch, the soap opera that Asher had opted to watch today playing on the TV screen. A female inkling grabbed the hands of her love interest, dramatically proclaiming that they were going to break up. For as long as she's seen her brother watch these, she's never understood the appeal of them. Yet she always opted to watch them with him, even if it was just to make him happy.
But today, he didn't don a smile like usual. Instead, his expression became unreadable, staring straight ahead as he placed his hands on his stomach. Something was wrong, and Geneva knew it.
Her phone vibrated, and she picked it up to see Cap'n Cuttlefish calling her. Whatever it was, it must be important. She excused herself from the living room and entered her bedroom, closing the door behind her to minimalize the background noise.
She accepted the call and held it up to her ear. "Hello?"
"Ahoy there, bucko!" the old man's voice proclaimed, startling her. "Sorry to call ye while yer off-duty, but have you seen Agent 8? It be a few days since I've last seen her face."
Oh. "She's training with Octa Prisma," she replied. "They entered this year's Deca Tournament—again, apparently. It was supposed to be two days ago, but it started raining, so they postponed it to next week."
"Ah, the Deca Tournament. My grandsquids showed me the footage from last year. Agent 4 did pretty good, I say."
"Octa Prisma won that one, didn't they?"
"Aye, they did! Now, if this were last year, I wouldn't be so happy, but hey, they actually aren't so bad."
She laughed. "Eight must've taught you a few things, didn't she?"
"Well, the past be the past. I'm a changed squid, Agent 3. Back to me main point. Could you tell Agent 8 to drop by for a little bit? Just to make sure she's OK."
Geneva nodded. "Will do, Cap'n. And you're OK, right? After yesterday?"
"Of course I am. No measly Octarian can take me down that easily!"
She laughed. "Alright, alright. Just making sure."
"Well, farewell! 'Til we meet again!"
"Bye." She hung up, sent a quick text to Eight, and slipped her phone into her pocket. She exited her room and returned to the couch, joining Asher once more. Upon arrival, he gave a small smile, yet he still donned the worried look he had during the entire show. Nonetheless, she sank into the couch, getting comfortable as the soap opera cut to a commercial. She looked over at her brother, meeting his eyes.
"Geneva?" he questioned, blinking. "Do you need something?"
"I was gonna ask you that," she retaliated. "You don't look too good."
"Fine, fine, you got me," he admitted, raising his hands.
"Tiffany on your mind again?"
"Kind of." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "There's this girl at work..."
Geneva blinked, surprised. A girl? Whoever she was, she must mean a lot to him to bring her up now.
"Tomorrow's her last day," he continued. "A-And, I like her. She's really nice. I don't know how I'll feel once she leaves. But at the same time, she could be faking it. And I'm scared she'll turn out just like..." He trailed off, his hands trembling. "I don't know if I can say her name."
"It's fine," she comforted him, grabbing his hand. "What's her name? The girl at your work, I mean."
"Ivy," he replied. "She's my age, and she likes painting. She went to school to be a cosmetologist, but she never got a job offer. Until now, that is." He flashed a smile. "Plus, our star signs are compatible!"
"I don't think star signs mean that much," Geneva pointed out, remaining light-hearted. "I mean, Eight and I are doing pretty well together, and our star signs aren't compatible."
"It's still fun," he argued. He sank back into the couch, sighing. "I don't know what to do."
"Well, you got a crush on her, so you should ask her out," she suggested. "Maybe she'll give you her phone number, at least."
"But what if she rejects me?" he fretted. "And if she does accept, what if she turns out like you-know-who?"
She frowned, a familiar fear snaking into her heart. If Ivy did turn out to be just like Tiffany, then they would have to leave Inkopolis—and Geneva couldn't bear leaving her friends behind. But she didn't want to think about that. Tiffany was a rare case. Most people were much, much nicer, and much, much less destructive.
"Maybe you could get her a parting gift," she then proposed. "Like a painting or something."
"A painting? But I haven't painted anything in years! Besides, do you know much time those take?"
"What about a drawing, then? Those take a lot less time."
"A drawing..." Asher trailed off, pondering on her suggestion. "That would work, actually," he deduced, smiling once more as he pounded a fist into his hand. "Thanks, Geneva!"
"No problem." She returned her attention to the TV. The commercials had ended, and the soap opera had resumed, taking Asher's attention away from her once more. Even if she wasn't the biggest fan of them, she was glad Asher had some way to distract him from his more negative thoughts.
Once the soap opera ended, her brother rose from the couch and went inside his room, later emerging with a sketchbook and a pencil case. He walked over to the dining table and sat down, setting the pencil case off to the side and opening up the sketchbook, flipping to a blank page. He took out his phone and rested it against the candleholder. Next, he opened up the case and pulled out a sharp pencil, laying its tip on the page. As he sketched, he glanced up from his sketchbook to look at his phone from time to time, making sure it did not turn off on him.
Eventually, Geneva was hovering over Asher, watching him draw a grinning inkling. It was not very detailed at the moment, but she could make out what he was drawing. Her eyes drifted over to his cellphone screen, which displayed a fair-skinned inkling woman with sea green hair tied in a low ponytail. From the way her tentacles looped below her ears, Geneva figured that when untied, her hair would be long—perhaps not as long as her own hair, but still rather long. Her eyes were closed, and she wore a MakoMart uniform, consisting of an orange t-shirt and an orange-and-blue visor. From the nametag on her shirt, it was clear that the lady Asher was drawing was indeed Ivy.
Asher looked over his shoulder, becoming aware of her presence. "Do you really think she'll like it?"
"Well, anyone's happy to get a gift," she replied. "So yeah, she'll like it."
He glanced back at his sketchbook. "I don't know. It doesn't look too good right now."
"Well, duh, you just started it."
"Haha, that's true. But I'm still rusty."
Geneva snickered. "I'm sure she'll love it, even if it's bad. It's the thought that counts, after all."
"I sure hope so."
As Asher resumed his gaze onto the sketch, Geneva decided to go out and do some ink battles. She texted the Rainbow Squids, sans Inigo, to ask if they would like to join her, and soon enough, she was met with some replies, allowing her to form a team for League Battles. She said her goodbyes to her brother, and she left the apartment, setting her sights on the Deca Tower.
Asher could handle being by himself, but sometimes she felt guilty for doing so. What if something to happened to him while she was gone? She could only blame herself for not being there to save him. To think that he almost died because she was away at the Deepsea Metro for so long only worsened her anxiety.
The thought only brought back unpleasant memories relating both to Tiffany and her fight with Inigo a few Splatfests back. As she walked through the streets of Inkopolis, she grimaced, their sneering faces flashing in her mind. Why couldn't she just forget about them? Compared to everything else, they were inconsequential. But she knew she couldn't just forget them. They've had such an impact on her life, she might as well be a different person if they never got involved with her. And as long as the Rainbow Squids remained together, Inigo would be there. Not in a million years would that ever change.
She couldn't dwell on the past, though. No matter how many times they came back to haunt her, she had to focus on the present, for everyone's sake.
Later, Geneva found herself walking down the hallway, towards her apartment. She stopped in front of the door and unlocked it. When she opened the door, a magenta blob jumped out at her, pinning her to the ground and wrapping its tentacles around her arms. After her initial shock, she could see the malicious glare of DJ Octavio through the shutter shades, his eyes thirsty for blood.
As his tentacles began to curl around her ankles, she raised her legs and kicked him off of her, eyebrows furrowed in anger. He flew inside the apartment, disappearing for moments before leaping out at her again. This time, she was prepared, swinging an arm at him. Yet, he grabbed onto her, squeezing her arm. She let out a cry as pain flared up, using her free arm to pry him off of her. But he just grabbed that arm as well, and now she was completely pinned to the wall, gritting her teeth. DJ Octavio's tentacles brushed her neck, his breath hot against her body.
Suddenly, Geneva heard some hauntingly familiar laughter. Looking past the giant octopus, she saw a glimpse of long, red hair in the doorway. Realizing who this was, she froze, her body trembling.
Tiffany.
"Did you really think you could beat him?" she sneered. "You, a teenage girl, against the decades-old leader of an entire race. Ha! You just got lucky the first few times."
Lucky?! Among the Octarians, she was known as the Dreaded, the inkling menace who took on the entire Octarian army and defeated them. She even defeated DJ Octavio and later took on an army of enhanced, sanitized Octarians—surely that had to be a testament to her skill. Calling her lucky was a vast understatement.
"Judd got your tongue?" Tiffany teased. "I know, buttercup, it's a lot to take in."
"You're wr-" Before Geneva could finish, DJ Octavio clenched her neck, her voice coming out in a gag. She couldn't breathe...! She thought he would let go, but his grip continued to tighten, the edges of her vision growing black.
"You and your brother are going to meet again," she remarked. "Have fun!"
She couldn't mean...! Before she could finish her thought, her strength faltered, and she was plunged into darkness.
Geneva's eyes snapped open, her breath quick. She felt her neck, feeling for any bruises. Nothing. There wasn't even the slightest bit of pain as she pushed on it.
So it was a dream, she realized. To be honest, it was more like a nightmare, but the important part was that it wasn't real. She was safe. Neither DJ Octavio nor Tiffany had broken into her apartment. Asher was still alive.
She moved a hand down to the light brown hand hugging her waist, brushing it. She could feel Eight's breath on the back of her neck, calm and steady as she slept. One of her tentacles wrapped around Geneva's, and another rested on top of her head.
Geneva's eyes drifted over to her alarm clock. It was about thirty minutes before the time set on it, and she doubted she would be able to fall back asleep before then. She contemplated getting up early, but at the same time, she didn't want to wake Eight from her sleep. Even if the octoling was used to harsh awakenings, she figured she would not be happy to wake up so suddenly. Letting a sigh, her head plopped onto the pillow, resting her eyes and letting herself calm down.
The alarm blared, and immediately, she felt Eight's tentacles tense up. Geneva winced as her own tentacle was squeezed, but soon enough, Eight let go, and she began to whisper into her ear.
"Good morning."
Geneva turned into a squid to escape her grasp and crawled off of the bed, reforming once she hit the ground. "Good morning," she said back, turning around to face her.
"You sleeping the well?"
"Eh..." She scratched the back of her head. "I don't want to talk about it."
Eight frowned. "Nightmare?" Geneva nodded. "Oh."
"What about you?"
"I sleep good." The curly-haired octoling got up from the bed and started walking towards the door, still in her pajamas. "You getting the ready, yes?"
"If eating breakfast counts as 'getting ready,' then...yes."
"Ooh! Want waffles?"
She gave a half-hearted smile. "Thanks for the offer, but you don't have to make them for me."
"Oh... OK."
They walked outside of the room, and at the dining table sat Asher, resting his head. In front of him was the sketchbook he had been drawing in, a pencil and eraser next to it. His phone still leaned against the candleholder, though the screen was dim. Faintly, Geneva could hear him snore.
How late was he up last night? she pondered. He was still working on the drawing when she got home, and judging by the fact that he was in the same place as he was then, he had fallen asleep in the middle of it. Geneva walked up to her brother and tapped his shoulder, and moaning, he lifted his head.
"What time it is it...?" he muttered, rubbing his eyes. He looked over at Geneva and Eight. "You're in your PJs."
"Six o'clock," the octoling answered.
He snapped up in his seat. "In the morning?!"
"What time was it before you fell asleep?" Geneva asked.
"I'm pretty sure it was past midnight," Asher replied. "I was almost done." His leaf-green eyes drifted over to the sketchbook. "I have two hours before work. I can finish this."
"No, you should go back to sleep. You can't work well if you're low on sleep."
"I can make some coffee. I've survived on less sleep."
Geneva frowned. While I was gone, right? she said silently. She sighed. There was no use convincing him otherwise. "I'm making some cereal," she announced, walking over to the kitchen. She pulled a box of cereal out of the cupboards, followed by a bowl and a carton of milk from the fridge. She poured the cereal into the bowl first before the milk, and once she was done, she grabbed a spoon and put it in the bowl. She carried it over to the dining table, sitting across from Asher. Eight, meanwhile, had turned on the TV, leaning back into the couch as the sound of turf war played.
"Geneva..." he started, grabbing her attention. "Could you come to MakoMart after school?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Well... It would help me feel better about Ivy if you were there," Asher explained. "Please?"
"OK, sure." As far as she knew, Asher's shift usually ended not long after school ended. By the time she arrived there, it was likely she would witness Asher's final goodbye to Ivy. Besides, maybe Octa Prisma would be practicing there, and she could say hello to Eight in the meantime. Alternatively, the Rainbow Squids could be doing some ink battles there, and she could say hello to one of them.
"Great." He pumped a fist. "Well, I don't want to keep you busy. You have school today, after all."
"I shouldn't keep you busy either, if you want to finish that. But...aren't you going to eat breakfast?"
"I will, I will. Just let me finish this first."
Geneva smirked and continued to eat her cereal. At least the room was as lively as ever in the mornings.
Instead of getting someone to drive her to MakoMart or walking there herself, Geneva super-jumped to the supermarket as soon as she stepped foot outside of the school, not wishing to waste any time. The store Asher worked at wasn't too far from the school—it was only a five-minute drive—but the landing still proved to be rough. She tripped upon landing and fell, catching herself with her hands. They began to burn with pain, but for now, she brushed it off and walked inside.
MakoMart was as lively as ever, crowded with shoppers. With how many jellyfish were shopping right now, her hopes that someone she knew was here flickered in her chest, and she started running towards one of the sections that would be closed off for ink battles. But when she arrived, no one was there. The stage was completely bare—shoppers were even allowed inside it! An eel was restocking one of the aisles, a bored expression on her face. Some jellyfish patiently stood around her, waiting for her to finish.
She frowned. Perhaps she should try to find Asher instead? He worked at one of the cash registers, and she figured that Ivy did as well. Geneva traveled over to the checkout lanes, keeping an eye out for a familiar green-haired inkling with a side cut and a goatee. Soon enough, she spotted her brother talking to a fedora-wearing hagfish and an inkling woman with long purple hair in one of the lines. Smiling, she entered the line and grabbed a chocolate bar.
Upon noticing Geneva, Asher's voice trailed off, green eyes. "Geneva! You're early." The people he had been talking to looked over at her, puzzled.
"I super-jumped here," she explained. "It's very convenient."
"Let me finish talking to these two first," he told her. Clearing his throat, he extended a hand towards the hagfish. "ID, Ms. Hagfish?"
She reached into her purse and pulled out a card, handing it over to Asher. He read it and handed it back over with a nod. He bagged a case of drinks and handed it over to the inkling woman.
"Who is she?" she asked, handing the bag over to the hagfish and adjusting the sunhat she wore. From her pale skin and the expression on her face, she kind of reminded Geneva of Perry.
"My sister," he replied. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience."
The hagfish smiled. "It's fine. We're in no rush." She looked up at her friend. "Right?"
"Right," she agreed.
Asher faked a smile. "Well, enjoy your day!"
"You too," the inkling woman said as they left the line. Geneva stepped up and handed her chocolate bar to Asher, allowing him to scan it.
"Hagfish, am I right?" he joked. "You can almost never tell how old they are at first glance. Unless they're a child."
"Which is why you had to get her ID, right?" Geneva questioned.
"Yeah, yeah." He reached out a hand. "Well, sister or not, you still gotta pay. That's 120G." Geneva reached into her pocket and pulled out a couple of coins, handing them over to him. He counted the coins and put them into the cash register. "Here you are," he declared, holding out the chocolate bar. "Hope you like it."
"I'm sure I will."
"Now, listen up." Asher leaned towards his sister, lowering his voice. "You see that pile of soda crates over there?" He pointed towards the entrance of MakoMart, where some boxes were stacked on top of each other like a pyramid. "Ivy passes by that pile every day when she leaves. That's where I plan to give her the drawing."
"And when does your shift end?"
"About..." He glanced at his watch. "Thirty minutes from now."
Thirty minutes, she could manage. "Alright," Geneva agreed. "I'll get up there."
"Booyah." Asher pumped a fist. "Thanks again."
"You're welcome."
She exited the line and traveled over to the pile of soda crates her brother had mentioned. She examined her surroundings. No one would care if she climbed up there, right? It was a little risky, but she was sure she could get out just fine. She super-jumped to the top of the pile, walking to the edge and sitting down cross-legged. She unwrapped her chocolate bar and began to eat it, taking out her phone and pulling up Squidsagram in the meantime. The first post she saw depicted Eight, Brayden, Elyse, and Peyton at Inkblot Art Academy, posing with the Rainmaker. With a smile, she liked the post and began to scroll through the various other posts displayed to her.
Eventually, the new hour arrived, and she lifted her head, searching for either Ivy or Asher. Neither of them were present, various jellyfish inhabiting the lane instead. Still, the only thing to do now was wait. Either her brother or his crush could pop up at any moment. She threw her hands down, slumping over. She was started to get bored—hopefully she could go to Inkopolis Square and do some turf wars soon!
Just when she thought she would give up, she spotted someone familiar. She craned her neck to look at the newcomer—a fair-skinned inkling with sea green hair tied behind her head. Ivy. Unlike the picture on Asher's phone, she wasn't wearing the uniform's hat, and she wore a puffy blue coat over an orange shirt. She wore black leggings and tennis shoes as well. For the first time, she could get a glimpse of her eyes—they were pink, like a cherry blossom. She really was pretty!
"Wait!"
In the middle of the aisle, Ivy turned around, her soft pink eyes wide with surprise. Asher ran up to her, holding a piece of paper in his hand. Geneva recognized it as the drawing, though it had been laminated.
He held it out, a blush creeping up his cheeks. "I have something for you."
Ivy blinked, taking the paper and examining it. "Oh, is this...me?"
"Yeah," he confirmed. "Since today's your last day, I wanted to give you something. So I decided to draw you." He frowned, fiddling with his thumbs. "Do you like it?"
"Yes," she simply replied.
He sighed. "I guess this is goodbye."
"It doesn't have to be. Want my number?"
Asher snapped his head up, eyes wide. "Y-Your number?"
"Yeah. That way, we can keep in touch."
"Yes!" he exclaimed loudly, startling Ivy. Quieter, he apologized. "Sorry. So, what is it?"
They exchanged phone numbers, and from on top of the pile of boxes, Geneva crossed her arms, nodding. Everything was going the way her brother wanted it to go, all thanks to her encouragement.
"Talk to you later," Ivy announced, waving goodbye as she began to walk away. After she finished, she took a glance at the drawing Asher made before disappearing from Geneva's sight completely.
"You too," Asher called. The young man lowered his hand and sighed, putting his hands in his coat pockets. Geneva climbed down the boxes and walked over to him, her brother noticing her presence almost immediately.
"That went well," she commented.
"Yeah," he agreed. "And I got her number, too. That's even better!"
Geneva smiled. Despite her worries, perhaps things would work out after all.
A/N: And that's that. Finally, an update on Asher! I've been wanting to have a chapter focusing more on him for a while now, but I couldn't really find anywhere to fit it in until today. In case you're wondering what Asher, Ivy, Geneva, and Eight's star signs are: Asher is a Pisces, Ivy is a Taurus, Geneva is a Sagittarius, and Eight is a Virgo. Now, for the next chapter...it will be posted on March 30th, the three-year anniversary of "The Rainbow Squids!" Of course I had to have an extra chapter for this week on that date, it's important! See you on Wednesday, and Branchwing, out!